Feb. 2016 - Home Page of the VW-1 All Hands Alumni Association

VW-1
ALL HANDST RACKER
FEB 2016
T E 0 0 - T E 1 - T E 2 - T E 3 - T E 4 - T E 5 - T E 6 - T E 7 - T E 8 - T E 9 - T E 1 0 - T E 11 - T E 1 2
NAS BARBERS POINT, HAWAII NAS AGANA, GUAM, NS SANGLEY POINT, PHILIPPINES NAS ATSUGI, JAPAN OKINAWA, JAPAN, CHU LAI, VIETNAM
SCUTTLEBUTT
r
from you PRESIDENT
Greeting Shipmates,
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The New Year hasn't started out very good for the Link family. January 12 I underwent quad bypass
surgery. I'm slowly recovering with a great wife, family and an unbelievable out pouring of prayers and
th
support. I start rehab the 5 of February which will go for 10 weeks. We plan on a short vacation to Florida
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mid-April and will be ready for Branson May 9 . I'm really looking forward seeing our VW-1 family together
again. Well that's enough about me.
We had a real tragedy concerning our VW-1 family, Richard Bleakney was reported drowned while fishing and
his body was recovered from Pyramid Lake on January 26, 2016. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Lowena
and family. Richard was an active member of the Association and made most of the reunions. He will be deeply
missed. Chaplain Tom Dunn and shipmates who served with Richard, have been in contact with the family.
The reunion was posted in the American Legion and Fleet Reserve magazine's. I've had numerous calls from
former VW-1 shipmates who are non-members about the reunion and of course membership. I've directed
some to the website for membership application and others given directly to Sally to send membership packets.
I encourage all to consider membership in both organizations as well the VFW. All these organizations have
our backs when it comes to looking out for the interest of active military and veterans.
This Scuttlebutt will not be lengthy for obvious reasons but, I have made arrangement for all members to
purchase a new VW-1 golf shirt in the new wicking fabric. There is a separate men's and woman's style. Both
versions come in Navy/Gold and Gold/White. The cost is $30 with the Trackers emblem, $5 additional for name
and years served. Unfortunately, XXL, XXXL, XXXXL will require $2 additional for each size increase above XL
(i.e. XXL -$2, XXXL - $4 & XXXXL $6 Extra). Also there will be sales tax of 9% added to each order. Order
forms will be attached to this newsletter. I purchased several for myself and Jane. They are very nice however,
they run a little small, so you may want to increase to the next size for both men and women unless you want to
accentuate your positives.
Table of Contents
Mens
Women
Order form on page 12
College of the Ozarks.......................2
Assistance Needed...........................3
Mail Call and Financial Report..........4
Were Vets Who Served in
Guam Exposed to Agent Orange
and Denied Benefits?.......................5
Our Departed Shipmates................. 8
NATOPS Test................................... 9
Sangley Point part one...................10
Shirt Order Forms and Answers.....12
Hard Work University …..
College of the Ozarks
Home of the Missouri Vietnam Memorial
by Sally Metzger
Wednesday morning the group will be visiting the College of the Ozarks, one of the few “work for your
education” schools in the US. It was established in 1906 and has approximately 1,500 students. All
students must give of their time and talents in lieu of paying tuition. One of the things I found most
impressive during my visit was the students themselves. At times young people get a “bad name” and it
was wonderful to see these young people who represented their college with a wonderful, helpful
demeanor and patience. I deliberately went out of my way to ask questions and speak with many of them
and they were, without exception, phenomenal.
The campus is well on its way to being a survivalist's dream. It maintains garden's, a mill, greenhouses, a
fruitcake and jelly kitchen, a restaurant, and cattle for their beef and dairy.
Our tour will begin at the Vietnam Memorial near their main entrance where we will be joined by a student
who will be our tour spokesperson. I'm sure you are all aware of the “buy a brick” concept and, yes, VW-1
does have a brick in this memorial. A “surprise prize” will be given to the one who spots it first….. that
includes me since I do not know where it is either. I'm an equal opportunity reunion
planner!
A stop at Edwards Mill is where students grind whole-grain meal and flour for use in
their on-campus restaurant. Upstairs, in a weaving studio, students design and
produce rugs, shawls, placemats and other items on traditional looms; along with hand
weaving baskets.
Our longest stop will be at the Ralph Foster Museum which is dedicated to the history
of the Ozarks region. It was named in honor of the late Ralph D. Foster, radio pioneer
and philanthropist. The museum houses thousands of objects representing
archaeology, history, firearms, antiques, fine arts, geology, and mineralogy. One whole floor is dedicated to
the Ozark history and truly interesting …. another floor is almost 100% firearms …. for those who like that
sort of thing!
From the museum, we proceed to the Keeter Center
where we will have a lunch prepared in the restaurant
run and serviced by students. I had the pleasure of
eating there and it is extraordinary dining in an
impressive building. Hopefully time will allow for you
also to view the Vietnam display that shows that
country in relief and the major areas of conflict, along
with many stories and objects from that time.
This tour for Wednesday leave the hotel about 8:30
a.m. and return approximately 1:30 p.m. Look for this
tour on your registration form and take the trip to a
unique destination.
2
Missouri Vietnam Memorial
Assistance Needed
AT2
. Wayne Baumunk
[email protected]
VW-1 1969 till it's decommissioning in 1971
I am writing today to seek your groups assistance. I need a copy on my orders showing I was sent to
Vietnam, or a couple buddy letters saying I was seen in Vietnam. I now live in Durango, Colorado and have
developed type two diabetes, legally blind, Tinnitus, and PTSD/Depression. The VA has given me disability
for the tinnitus, but has denied the diabetes because I cannot prove I was in Vietnam. My DD-214 indicates
Vietnam service, but as usual, they want more proof.
On or about April 10, 1970 I flew into Danang aboard TE-00 on a cargo resupply mission. I believe we flew from
NAS Agana directly to Danang. We spent three days on the ground there. We then flew to Sangley Pt, P.I.
where four of us went for training on the KY-28 radio scrambler coder at Cubi Pt. The Plane went on to Naha,
Okinawa. I sent a letter to my parents from Danang where I noted the we arrived at 6:30PM after an 11 hour
Oceano flight, flying at 8,000 ft and 160 KTS. I also noted the aircraft was flown by the Squadron Commander.
My mother kept the letter and gave it to me during the last days of her life.
I started with Bos'n Mate Paul Lee as a compartment cleaner, then went to the squadron as an ATR. I went to
APS 20 radar school in the old quanset huts on the Officer's housing side of NAS.
For a while I worked in the AT shop, then transferred to the Weather vans, I worked with Carl Headburg. I usually
worked the night shift, and when I made E-5 I moved off base. I transferred to VQ-1 as I only had a little time left
to serve. I got out of the service on Guam and remained there for some 25 years after. I helped open the Coral
Reef Marine Center SCUBA and Marine store on Marine Drive in Asan.
Any assistance would be appreciated.
Wayne Baumunk
Liz Morris, Widow of ADRC Mackey mackey_morris_fi[email protected]
Dear Shipmates,
I am the surviving spouse of ADR1 Mackey (Mike) R. Morris who served in VW-1, Agana, GU, Sep 1967-Aug
1968. I am looking for anyone that served or knows anyone that served with him. I can use ANY information you
may have.
My husband passed away in Oct 2012. He had filed a claim with the VA before he died but, at the time of his
death, they had not processed the claim. I have been fighting with them ever since. They are denying his claim,
saying there is no record of him ever being near Vietnam and since he didn't get a Purple Heart, there is no claim.
I got a copy of his military record from St Louis but it is very sketchy (no orders, pay records, nothing). I requested
a copy of his military medical records as well but they told me that the Regional VA Office has them. I am
presently waiting for an appointment with that office to review the records. I also requested a hearing but was told
it will take at least 10 months.
I know he was a Flight Engineer in the Super Connie and flew surveillance missions into Vietnam. I don't know
which aircrew he was in but his aircraft took enemy fire during a few of these missions. I cannot found any
information about these missions or his in-country assignments. He was concerned that he would have trouble
proving his Vietnam service.
Please, if you knew him or have any information that will help me prove his claim, it will be greatly appreciated. I
have included four pictures taken around that time frame.
Thank you,
Jim House ([email protected])
Briefly, I am searching for info on some specific flights that I was on - on one we lost the stbd tip tank and 6' of
wing, on another, turbulence ripped the #1 CIC scope out and broke the techs leg and then on one the APS45
magnetron blew and we had the inflight fire, but I cant place specific times/dates.
I, as many of you are and know the difficulty, am attempting to make a claim against the VA and trying to
document these specific incidents. I have all original orders (that may be of help to some of you) but my flight log
book has been MIA for some time. Do you have any info on these specific flights or others that incurred extreme
turbulence/inflight structural damage, that we were on together, that might assist me. I would appreciate any
documentary help on these or others that might help validate the claim.
Thanks much,
3
MAIL CALL
“This is Tango Echo One I have the ball”....
To Whom it may concern:
The picture on Pg6 (last issue) of a WV approaching
and aircraft carrier triggered memories. I was part of
VW-1 form October 1969 to December 25,1971. I heard
VW-1 All Hands
2015 Financial Report
Beginning Balance 1/1/15
$ 3,405.11
storied of a crew flying an
approach on an aircraft
carrier, all these years latter there it is. The story is true.
Bill Schumacher
INCOME
Dues
Hats, Pins & Patches
Donations
$ 2,985.00
125.00
65.00
3,175.00
$ 6,580.11
Bob Orsini Chiming In
Expenses:
Postage
$ 176.00
Office Supplies
183.74
Hats, pins & patches
824.08
Tracker/ C. Seal
360.36
Web Page/ P.Wasmund
108.45
Computer Tech
159.00
Brick
100.00
Reunion Research/deposits 661.41
Hope you are doing fine. Can't believe the reunion
is coming up. Pat is making a quilt that will blow
your mind away. Tell everyone to save their
pennies on this one. I am making some wind
chimes for the auction plus another goodie or two.
Hope Ralph is mending nicely after his surgery.
Met a few former VW-1 ers that live in the area but
had no idea there was a association so I told them
about the web sight. They always said that the
squadron was the best duty they ever had....
Bob Orsini
$ 2573.82
Ending Balance 12/31/15
$ 4,006.29
Shutterfly.com
I have had this idea that it would be nice if I could share all my photos from my VW-1 days with all the past
members of VW-1. That we could get a depository of VW-1 photos started so all could use a greater selection
of photos. I would limited it to just VW-1. Photos of friends, aircraft, port of calls, Guam, Chu Lia, etc.
So, I have set up a Sutterfly account at sutterfly.com to allow all hands to up load or down load photos from
VW-1 The account is under AEWRON ONE, email is [email protected], and the pass word is
TE1145935. If you do up load some photos please do it under a new album and name it with your name and
year that you were in the squadron.
I also hope to download some photos for the newsletter so don't stop up loading. If you do not know how to up
load just ask your grandchildren.
4
Were Vets
Who Served in Guam
Exposed to
Agent Orange
and
Denied Benefits?
I had decided to do an article on Agent Orange several editions ago
but the subject is so large and complex I had a difficult time finding a
starting point and then try to disseminate all the information. That
endeavor has proved too large for this newsletter. This article came
to me from Stephen Davis via Pete Wasmund who has fantastic
links relating to Agent Orange on our web site.
(http://vw1assoc.tripod.com/ao_links.html).
Instead of reinventing the wheel I am printing this article and
referring all to the web site. In the future if any of our squadron
mates want to write an article on Agent Orange and the process one
must go through please contact me.
This article is good and the web site will be a great help for finding
answers.
Chris Seal, Editor, USN Ret.
Diane Dimond reports on the veterans who claim
they regularly sprayed Agent Orange on a military
By Diane Dimond
base and have been denied benefits for the
illnesses they’ve had ever since.
The life-changing damage done by the Agent Orange herbicide continues to haunt American soldiers who served
during the Vietnam War. It took years for the government to yield to pressure and acknowledge the devastating effects
of the chemical. Many Vietnam veterans have been compensated for the debilitating illnesses but others who served
outside Vietnam continue to be denied benefits by the VA. Diane Dimond spoke with a group of these forgotten
veterans, and heard from some that they fear they will die before receiving treatment and justice from the country they
served.
Air Force Master Sergeant LeRoy Foster is a monumental pain in the ass to the Veterans Administration. He has been
leading a small army fighting the VA’s years-long refusal to grant Agent Orange benefits to hundreds of veterans who
served on Guam during the Vietnam Era.
Foster served as a Fuels Specialist assigned to the 43rd Supply Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, from
September 1968 until June 1978. Part of his duties included getting rid of weeds and other vegetation on the base. In
sworn testimony to the U.S. Congress and in several affidavits to the VA Foster maintains that Agent Orange—which
contains deadly TCDD dioxin—was among the defoliants he regularly mixed and loaded into his 750 gallon trailermounted sprayer and dispersed base-wide.
The government’s own analysis of chemicals present in the island’s soil and resolutions passed by Guam’s legislature
also suggest that Agent Orange was among the herbicides routinely used on the Air Force base. Despite this evidence,
the DOD continues to deny that Agent Orange was ever used on Guam and has refused to award afflicted veterans the
disability coverage that has become standard for those who were harmed by the chemical in Vietnam.
Foster, 65, is the rare exception. He finally won his VA claim for Agent Orange benefits in January 2011 after producing
medical records from 1968 when he was treated at Andersen AFB for chloracne—an oily, painful condition of cysts and
pustules that erupts on a dioxin-exposed person’s cheeks, arms, torso and groin area. While chloracne is not exclusively
attributed to Agent Orange, it is consistent with the symptoms caused by dioxin and the VA, when it reviewed Foster’s
claims, did not dispute them or offer alternative explanations for his condition.
Hundreds of other Guam-based veterans from that era have also filed VA claims citing exposure to Agent Orange as the
cause of their health problems but the vast majority has seen their cases rejected.
Numerous VA records examined by The Daily Beast reveal that out of the 270 claims filed by Guam-based veterans
for Agent Orange–related illnesses, fewer than 10 have been approved. Among the diseases afflicting the group are:
Hodgkin’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, chloracne, prostate or respiratory cancers, soft tissue sarcoma, diabetes
mellitus (Type 2), chronic B-cell leukemia and ischemic heart disease.
The VA declined to provide comment for this story but in their own official response to claims filed by veterans, two
issues are commonly cited for denying benefits: the lack of surviving records proving that Agent Orange was present
on Guam and the fact that claims were filed too long after the initial exposure occurred. Testimony from Foster and
others that the chemical drums used for spraying were marked with the telltale orange stripe that gives the herbicide its
name has not been enough to overturn the government’s official denial.
The Department of Defense is resolute on the issue. “There was never any Agent Orange on Guam,” public information officer
Col Jeff Pool told The Daily Beast. “The D.O.D has found no records of the use, storage or testing of Agent Orange on Guam."
Pool said the DOD recently conducted an “exhaustive” nine month examination of stateside shipping documents from
the Vietnam-era after similar Agent Orange claims were made by Vietnam vets stationed on Okinawa. The study of these
5
hardcopy records took place at 16 different locations, according to the DOD, and found, “No source
documents that validate the claims that Agent Orange was shipped to, or through, unloaded, stored,
used or buried,” at any U.S. military installation outside the immediate area of Vietnam. MSgt Foster
says that this is preposterous and that he spent years spraying “over a million gallons” of the damaging
herbicide all over vegetation at Andersen AFB. Other eyewitness vets at the base have backed up Foster’s story.
“The DOD has its canned response,” Foster said in a telephone conversation from his home in
Westfield, New York. “The dioxin is there on Guam. It didn’t get there by accident.”
Though the DOD has been consistent in denying any Agent Orange use at Andersen Air Base, the VA’s position has
been harder to pin down. On its official website the VA states that:
“You must prove that you were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during your military service to be eligible for serviceconnection for diseases VA presumes are related to Agent Orange exposure.”
But the VA has never explained why it approved giving benefits to Foster, who only submitted his paperwork in 2009, and denied
them to the majority of his fellow vets who served on Andersen AFB during the same period and exhibit similar symptoms.
Many of these aging vets fighting for medical care bitterly complain that the military they proudly served has turned
against them. Some privately question whether the government deliberately destroyed records of Agent Orange use in
Guam in order to evade responsibility and payment for the harm it caused.
While the DOD continues to deny Agent Orange was ever present on Guam its findings appear to contradict the reports
from other groups, including another government agency.
The official measurement made by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in a 2002 Public Health
Report put the dioxin soil contamination at Andersen AFB at an astronomical 19,000 ppm (parts per million).
According to the EPA, safe levels have been placed at below 1 ppb (parts per billion).
Advisory reports assessing risk for potential investors in Monsanto and Dow Chemical, two manufacturers of Agent
Orange, state in nearly identical language: “Soldiers stationed on Guam who handled Agent Orange have become ill
and symptoms of TCCD (dioxin) poisoning are apparent in the general population of the island as well.” The report
goes on to quantify the “extraordinary level of contamination” still apparent when it was written in 2004.
In 2008, Guam’s legislature passed a resolution petitioning the U.S. government to acknowledge the use of Agent
Orange on the island and requesting inclusion in the “Agent Orange Equity Act,” which granted benefits to areas that
were officially recognized as being contaminated by the chemicals use. The resolution also addressed the VA’s stance.
“…The VA procedures have also resulted in an unjustified withholding of benefits for military and civilian workers in
staging areas for the Vietnam War such as Guam through which military personnel munitions equipment and supplies
including herbicides containing Agent Orange were shipped.”
Health officials in Washington first began to acknowledge that the widely used Agent Orange was a health hazard
beginning in 1970 but it wasn’t banned by the Environmental Protection Agency until 1979.
Today, the VA recognizes 15 Agent Orange related diseases. Foster’s various illnesses have left him in a wheelchair to fight,
among other maladies, Type 2 diabetes, ischemic heart disease, spinal stenosis, and degenerative joint and disc disease. Foster
stands as an anomaly—a modern-day, human Catch 22. The DOD denies that he could have been exposed to Agent Orange
yet the VA has awarded him disability payments specifically tied to the deadly herbicide's effects.
Foster says his VA claim probably succeeded where hundreds of others have failed because he has been so vocal. Since he
began fighting, Foster has deluged the Agency and Congress with mountains of documentation, eye-witness accounts to his
spraying activities and testimonials from sick Andersen AFB colleagues. Foster traveled to Washington in both 2010 and
again in 2012 to speak to members of the Senate and House Veterans’ Affairs Committee. He has written directly to President
Obama. He says he is motivated by the guilt he feels over the illnesses and deaths of his Guam-based comrades.
“This is why I do not sleep at night,” Foster wrote in a recent letter to his VA counselor. “This is what I carry around in
me all day long and all night long for I am directly responsible for their deaths. I am responsible for the continuing
suffering on Guam by so many children and so many young adults who have no idea what I did there.”
Many of the Guam-based vets point to studies about Vietnam’s Agent Orange contamination and say they show that
the herbicides Foster sprayed forty years ago still remain in Guam’s soil, water table and food chain—just as it does in
Vietnam. These vets blame the herbicide's aftereffects for the miscarriages and birth defects among military dependents as well
as the civilian population on Guam. Perhaps not coincidentally, the island does have a higher than normal cancer rate,
especially rare leukemia-type cancer in children. Despite the health problems on the island, no official acknowledgment or funding
for treatment has come out of the 2008 resolution by Guam’s legislature.
Veteran’s Law attorney Katrina Eagle of San Diego has won cases for two Guam-based vets and currently represents several more.
The claims, “never move swiftly” through the VA system, Eagle said with a sigh, and most require a lengthy appeal process.
“It is an arbitrary law,” Eagle told The Daily Beast, referring to the regulations dictating officially recognized Agent Orange
6
zones. “It draws the line between the land mass of Vietnam and everywhere else. If you had boots on the ground in
Vietnam you are automatically assumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange,” and thus qualify for benefits.
“Guam is its own Pandora’s box,” according to Eagle. After the VA has heard so much firsthand testimony and seen the drum
photos, she says, “Everybody knows that stuff (Agent Orange) was there but they keep on with a wink-wink denying it.”
Even when tests on Guam-based vets turn up high dioxin levels in their blood, Eagle says that’s not enough. “That you
have something in your bloodstream isn’t going to get you anything from the VA,” she said. “You have to prove an
actual disability” stemming from military service.
The U.S. government has never been hasty about accepting responsibility for the health scourge left by Agent Orange. It wasn’t
until August 2012 that the U.S. offered a $43 million four-year toxic cleanup project for sites in Vietnam. That slow reaction
gives many Guam-based vets little hope that they will live to see Washington recognize their health problems.
In another strange turn, it was Chuck Hagel, the current secretary of Defense who once presented himself as a stalwart
advocate for veterans affected by Agent Orange. In his 1981 testimony to the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Hagel
responded to a question about the VA moving too slowly on Agent Orange claims. “There is nobody who wants to get this
resolved worse that I, simply because I have a very personal interest in this issue. I may have been sprayed along with my
brother who spent a year with me in Vietnam. So, I stand behind no one as far as wanting to get this issue resolved.”
Responding to a request for comment, the DOD told The Daily Beast that Secretary Hagel has nothing to say on the
issue of Agent Orange in Guam.
Among the many that have been rejected for Agent Orange benefits is Sgt. Ralph Stanton, 64, of Savannah, Missouri
who became reunited with MSgt Foster 40 years after they both left Guam. Foster mentioned his war-time buddy in
an April 12, 2012 letter to President Obama.
“I was the guy he used to call, “the little bastard,” as I use (sic) to make him sick when I came by spraying the Agent
Orange … on the security/perimeter fences,” Foster wrote in a letter pleading with the President to add Guam to the
official list of Agent Orange locations. Foster mentioned the guilt he cannot shake.
“I feel responsible for all of these men, women and children (who became) ill because of what I did there for our
country,” Foster wrote. “My only grandchild was born … with multiple birth defects (twelve toes and twelve fingers, a
heart murmur and now they think she may be autistic.)”
Both Foster and Stanton have children and grandchildren who are plagued with the same birth defects as reported in
post-war children born in Vietnam. According to them, birth defects are common among the Guam veterans from their
era. However, the latest Institute of Medicine report on Veterans and Agent Orange says more study is needed on the
question of “paternally transmitted effects to offspring.”
The liability assessment reports produced for Monsanto and Dow Chemical investors assert that, “TCDD has shown in
laboratory animals to have multigenerational impacts, on multipal generation as well as the current generation’s children.”
President Obama did not answer Foster’s letter but this past Memorial Day he said to the nation, “Let’s resolve to take
care of our veterans … Not just in the first five years after a war, but the first five decades. For our Vietnam veterans,
this means the disability benefits for diseases connected to Agent Orange.”
MSgt. Foster ruefully says, “It's hollow words until they actually do something.”
Foster and Stanton have knitted together a coalition of their fellow Guam-based vets. Stanton, who worked at
Andersen’s fuels maintenance shop and burned excess fuel in empty Agent Orange drums, now suffers from diabetes,
heart trouble, chloracne eruptions on his torso and arms, kidney disease, and a degenerating spine. He established a
detailed website (http://guamagentorange.info/home) about what he says was the toxic contamination left on Guam.
He is writing a book about his experiences on with the military and the VA and with the help of Katrina Eagle he
continues to appeal his rejected VA claim for benefits.
“They can do whatever they want,” Stanton told a radio host recently. “They can turn it down because you didn’t dot
an “I.” Then, you can appeal and they’ll find a “T” you didn’t cross. If it was a real court of law we would have won
our cases because we have our evidence. But the VA doesn’t want to hear it.”
In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency put Andersen AFB on the list of Superfund sites, noting the area was
vastly contaminated with dioxins, pesticides, trichloroethylene and other soil and water toxins. More than 20 years
later, the base remains on the priority cleanup list and is currently home to more than 8,000 people—military personnel,
their families and civilians. There is a plan underway, confirmed by the DOD’s Lt. Col. Pool, to transfer an additional
5,000 Marines from a base in Okinawa, “sometime in the near future.”
Those veterans who spoke with The Daily Beast about their service on Guam and the sickness they attribute to their
time on the tiny island, shake their heads in disbelief that anyone still populates the highly contaminated Andersen
AFB. Along with many concerned civilian Guamanians they worry that the U.S. military is risking the health of even
more people, including children, while it denies the suffering visited on the last generation.
7
Our Departed Shipmates
Lloyd J. Turner Jr.
April 7, 1941 - January 2, 2016
VW-1 -March 65 - June 66
Lloyd J. Turner, Jr. age 74 of
Kingston passed away
Saturday January 2, 2016 at
his home. He was a member
of the First Baptist Church of
Kingston since 1980. He
served in the U.S. Navy
during the Vietnam War with
VW-1 from March 65 to June 66 as a Scope Dope (his
words) on Crew 5, He also served as Commander of the
Roane County Military Memorial Honor Guard for 9
years, a current member of the American Legion Post 50
in Rockwood where he served as Past Adjutant and Past
Commander. Also a member of the Masonic Lodge;
Order of the Eastern Star and Kerbela Shriners.
Preceded in death by parents Lloyd, Sr. and Helen
Turner.Lloyd is surrived by his wife of 47 years Barbara
Sue; Daughter and son in law Michelle and Chris Everett,
Son Mark Turner, Sister and brother in law Connie and
Roy Huckaby.
What is Dying?
A ship sails and I stand watching
till she fades on the horizon,
and someone at my sidesays, "She is gone".
Gone where? Gone from my sight
that is all; she is just as
large as when I saw her...
the diminished size and total
loss of sight is in me, not in her,
and just at the moment
when someone at my side says
"she is gone", there are others
who are watching her coming,
and other voices take up the glad shout,
"there she comes!" ...and that is dying.
Bishop Charles Brant
Mackey Ray Morris, ADRC, USN Ret.
Born: April 22, 1939 Died October 24, 2012
VW-1: Sep 1967 - Aug 1968
Mackey Ray Morris of N. Charleston, SC, departed this life on Wednesday, October 24,
2012. He was born on April 22, 1939 in Auburn, GA, and was the son of Lester C. and
Hester J. Morris.
Mackey was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Bill and Fred; and
sister, Kloma Brooks. He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Alma E. (Liz) Morris; three
daughters: Mrs. Gee Gee (Billy) Ross of Canonsburg, PA; Mrs. Sherry (Tony) Reis of
Keenesburg, CO; Ms. Ronnisue Morris of Antioch, CA; six grandchildren, three great
grandchildren, four nieces and one nephew.
Mackey, a Vietnam Veteran, served in the U.S. Navy for 26 years and retired as a CHIEF AVIATION
MACHINIST'S MATE on October 31, 1980. During his years of Naval service he was assigned many varied
duties and served with a wide variety of sea and shore commands. In addition, he partnered with two separate
Department of Defense contractors to develop improved systems and maintenance procedures for increased
reliability of Naval Aviation equipment. Mackey was a member of the Fleet Reserve Association, Branch 50,
Charleston, SC. After retiring from the Navy, he owned and operated Morris Appliance Service for 32 years.
Mackey will forever be remembered for his love of family, loyalty to his friends, his unique sense of humor and his
willingness to help others, even after battling lung cancer in 2007-2008.
8
Willy Quiz - NATOPS - JFK
Here is a test for Willy Victor sailors. Get your 50
year old memories working and see if you can
remember some of these abbreviations and
acronyms. Theses are right out of the NATOPS for
the Willy Victor and the answers are on page 12.
AIRCRAFT
1
INDOCT
2
NORMAL
PROCD
3
NAVAIR 01-75CK-1
NATOPS FLIGHT MANUAL
NAVY MODELS
C-121J, EC-121K/M
WC-121N, NC-121K
ac
_____________________________
ACM _____________________________
ADF _____________________________
amp _____________________________
amp/hr_____________________________
avg
_____________________________
BFO _____________________________
BTU _____________________________
°C
_____________________________
CDI _____________________________
cg
_____________________________
CHT _____________________________
cm
_____________________________
cps
_____________________________
cu. in. _____________________________
cw
_____________________________
dc
_____________________________
ea.
_____________________________
EAS _____________________________
EMER. _____________________________
ETA _____________________________
°F
_____________________________
fpm _____________________________
_____________________________
G
_____________________________
gal
_____________________________
GCA _____________________________
GCI _____________________________
gen _____________________________
GS
_____________________________
GTPU _____________________________
Hg.
_____________________________
HF
_____________________________
AIRCRAFT
T H I S P U B L I C AT I O N S U P E R C E D E S N AVA I R 0 1 - 7 5 C K C - 1
D AT E D 1 A P R I L 1 9 6 8 . C H A N G E D 1 5 F E B R U A RY 1 9 7 0
A N D N AVA I R 0 1 - 7 5 C M A - 1 D AT E D 1 A P R I L 1 9 6 9
I S S U E D B Y A U T H O R I T Y O F T H E C H I E F O F N AVA L O P E R AT I O N S
AND UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMANDER,
N AVA L A I R S Y S T E M S C O M M A N D
FLIGHT
CHARAC
4
EMER
PROCD
5
ALL-WTHR
6
COMM
7
WEAPON
SYSTEMS
8
FLT CREW
COORD
9
NATOPS
EVAL
10
PERFORM
DATA
11
INDEX
15 APRIL 1971
COMING SOON NATOPS on CD (in PDF format) at Ships Store
Any man who may be asked
in this century, what he did to
make his life worthwhile,
can respond with a good deal
of pride and satisfaction,
“I served in the United States Navy.”
§
9
President John F. Kennedy
Sangley PointPart One
From the Beginning to the Start of WW2
Naval Station Sangley Point
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the former U.S. Naval Station Sangley Point. For its current operations as a Philippine
military base, see Danilo Atienza Air Base, (PAF) and Naval
Base Cavite, (PN)
Naval Station Sangley Point was a communication and
hospital facility of the United States Navy which occupied
the northern portion of the Cavite City peninsula and is
surrounded by Manila Bay, approximately eight miles
southwest of Manila, the Philippines. The station was a part
of the Cavite Navy Yard across the peninsula. The naval
station had a runway that was built after World War II,
which was used by U.S. NavyP-2 Neptune, P-3 Orion
patrol planes and EC-121 Warning Star (the best aircraft of them all). An adjacent seaplane runway, ramp area and
seaplane tender berths also supported P5M Marlin patrol planes until that type's retirement from active naval service in
the late-1960s. NAS Sangley Point/NAVSTA Sangley Point was also used extensively during the Vietnam War,
primarily for U.S. Navy patrol squadrons forward deployed from the United States on six month rotations. Crews from
the world famous “Typhoon Trackers” (known locally as liberty commandos) often would disrupt the tranquil state of
Cavite City by attempting to drink all the San Miguel Beer in the city. The naval station was turned over to the
Philippine government in 1971. It is now operated by the Philippine Air Force and Philippine Navy.
Spanish Period
The Spanish colonial government in the Philippines, which had ruled the Philippines since 1571, found a useful
purpose for the tiny peninsula across the bay. Ever distrustful of the Chinese merchants who called on every port from
Japan to the Arabian Peninsula, the Spanish passed laws restricting their entry into the capital city of Manila. These
Chinese merchants, then known as sangleys, could, however, sell their wares across the bay from the city on the
narrow strip of land that would eventually bear their name. In addition to their role as international traders, Chinese
artisans and craftsmen were employed as inexpensive labor by the Spanish shipbuilders who built ships at Sangley that
were used in the galleon trade route between Manila and Acapulco.
In 1871 the Spanish established a naval hospital, managed by the Sisters of Charity, at Cañacao near the western end of
the peninsula. In addition, as the age of sail began to wane and the age of steam was ushered in, the eastern end of
Sangley Point became a coaling station and support facility for the Spanish naval base located just across Cañacao Bay
at the Cavite naval yard.
American Period
Battle of Manila Bay
Cavite Navy Yard in 1899.
In 1898, diplomatic relations between the United States and Spain were strained by events related to the insurrection
taking place on the Spanish island of Cuba.
In anticipation of hostilities with Spain, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt ordered the U.S. Asiatic
Fleet, under the command of Commodore George Dewey aboard the USS Olympia, to proceed to the British Crown
Colony of Hong Kong. There he was to make preparations to move on the Spanish Fleet in the Philippines, believed to be
anchored at Subic Bay. After war with Spain had broken out following the explosion of the USS Maine in Havana, Dewey
proceeded to the Philippines and arrived at Subic Bay just before sunset on April 30, 1898. However, Spanish naval
authorities had determined that their position there was undefendable and had moved the fleet to Manila Bay.
Under cover of darkness, Dewey proceeded to Manila Bay, arriving just off Corregidor after 11 PM. The ships
stealthily moved past the south side of the island fortress, through Boca Grande, and into Manila Bay.
10
Sangley Point Continued From pg 10
Shortly after midnight they had nearly passed unnoticed
when soot in the USS McCulloch's smokestack caught fire,
revealing the squadron's position. Spanish batteries on the
south shore near Punta Restinga and on El Fraile Island
opened fire on the shadowy ships. A few rounds were fired
in response by the USS Raleigh. One shell scored a direct
hit on El Fraile battery. The Spanish guns then fell silent
after firing only three rounds. However, the big guns on
Corregidor remained silent. Although concerned that his
presence had been revealed, Dewey proceeded slowly
eastward toward Manila.
Dawn was beginning to break on the morning of May 1 as
the squadron arrived at Manila. At first, however, lookouts
Sangley Point Main Gate
posted high on the American ships could not locate the
enemy fleet. Then, off to the right, they spotted a number of white buildings on the narrow strip of land known as
Sangley Point, and beyond them a line of dark gray objects on the water. A hard turn to starboard brought the American
squadron to bear on the Spanish fleet. The Spanish ships were anchored in an arch stretching eastward and southward
from the mouth of Cañacao Bay near the tip of Sangley Point. As they approached, the column of American ships, with
Olympia at the head of the line followed by Baltimore, Raleigh, Petrel, Concord, and Boston, gradually turned to
starboard, bringing their port guns to bear on the Spanish fleet. Dewey turned to Captain Charles V. Gridley,
commanding officer of Olympia, and said, "You may fire when ready, Gridley." At 5:41 AM, the squadron opened fire.
The Battle of Manila Bay had begun.
The firing became incessant, the white smoke of gunfire becoming so thick that it was difficult to gauge accuracy or
effectiveness. Although trapped in the narrow confines of Cañacao Bay, the Spanish fleet managed to maintain a heavy
barrage of return fire.
However, most of the Spanish gunfire fell short of its mark. After making five passes in front of the enemy fleet, Dewey
withdrew at 7:35 AM to investigate reports that he was low on ammunition. He passed the word that the men should
take advantage of the break to eat breakfast. One gunner, eager to return to action, yelled out, "For God's sake, Captain.
Don't let us stop now! To hell with breakfast!"
Just after 11:00 AM, after determining that the report of low ammunition was in error and that his ships had suffered
little or no battle damage, Dewey re-engaged the enemy. However, this time he met very little resistance. As the smoke
cleared, the devastation inflicted by American guns became clearly evident. With the exception of a few gunboats, the
Spanish fleet had been totally annihilated. More than 300 Spanish sailors had been killed or wounded. The lone
American casualty was due to heatstroke. By 12:30 PM, the Spanish colors over the arsenal at Sangley Point were
replaced by a white flag. The Battle of Manila Bay was over.
The following day, the naval facilities at Cavite and Sangley Point were officially taken over by U.S. Naval
Expeditionary Forces under the command of Commodore George Dewey.
Sangley continued to serve essentially the same function for the U.S. Navy as it had for the Spanish navy. The coaling
facilities on the eastern end continued to supply the Navy with coal until ships converted to oil when a tank farm was
established.
The Cañacao Naval Hospital Reservation was established on the western end. The US Navy continued to operate the
hospital started by the Spanish. In the mid-1920s a modern new hospital was built as part of a major construction project
to modernize the facility. The new hospital continued to serve the Navy and the local population until early 1942. It was
destroyed during World War II.
Three 600-foot (180 m) steel antenna towers were erected in 1915 for the operation of a powerful radio communications
station, named Radio Sangley. Later on, a submarine support facility was established. The Cavite Navy Yard, just across
Cañacao Bay, became the major ship repair facility for the Asiatic fleet. However, World War II and the Japanese
occupation of the Philippines interrupted operations in 1942. (To be continued)
11
GLOSSARY from the C-121J, EC-121K, and WC-121N NATOPS
ac
ACM
ADF
amp
amp/hr
avg
BFO
BTU
°C
CDI
cg
CHT
cm
cps
cu. in.
cw
dc
ea.
alterna ng current
addi onal cewmember
automa c direc on finder
ampere
ampere-hour
average
beat frequency oscillator
Bri sh thermal unit (heat measurement)
Cen grade degrees
course direc on indicator
center of gravity
cylinder head temperature
cen meter
cycles per second
cubic inch
carrier wave
direct current
each
equivalent airspeed (calibrated airspeed
corrected for compressibility)
EMER. emergency
es mated me of arrival
ETA
Fahrenheit
degrees
°F
feet per minute
fpm
foot or feet
load factor
G
gallon or gallons
gal
ground controlled approach
GCA
ground controlled intercept
GCI
generator
gen
ground
speed
GS
GTPU gas turbine power unit
mercury
Hg.
high
frequency
HF
high rate discharge
HRD
EAS
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